It is known to support sheep on special carrier devices in a manner such that the sheep are substantially free of obstruction so that shearing can be effected without moving the sheep.
An example of such a device is that described in Australian Patent Application No. 87705/75 which utilizes a pair of supports which engage the sheep in the areas between the front and the rear legs and supports the sheep in an elevated condition where the sheep is relatively free of any obstructions excepting at the points of contact of the supports.
It has also been proposed to use a device which will render the sheep relatively immobile during the shearing process and it is thus possible to hold a sheep in a position where it could be sheared by an automatic device provided with the necessary sensing means, such a device being disclosed in copending application.